Until It Hits You In the Teeth
by nubianamy
Summary: As they approach graduation, Danny and Stiles' pack grows in unexpected ways. Stiles/Danny (Stanny), Scott/Allison/Isaac (Scisaac), Lydia/Jackson, others TBA. Sequel to Only Held by Gravity.
1. Chapter 1

This is a sequel to the Danny/Stiles soulmate romance Only Held by Gravity. It was supposed to fit in one chapter, and I am laughing even as I type this because I don't do anything short. So, yeah, you get a new story.

I'm polyamorous, so perhaps it's no surprise that all my characters end up in poly situations. It's not really a warning, but maybe a heads up for those of you who prefer your soulmates monogamous. This story is mostly fluff, so you don't need to worry about scary breakups or anything like that. Also, apparently, male animals don't go into heat, so I came up with a workable solution for that.

Enjoy! -amy

* * *

The first time they saw Jackson was the last week in April, when he showed up on Danny's front step on Monday night, bearing a four-pack of Guinness and a bag of Doritos. As soon as Stiles opened the door, Jackson was pushing past him, muttering, "I'm not spending one more evening with guys who think that football should be called _handegg_. Where the _fuck_ is the remote?"

"Uh —" Stiles blinked, laughing, at Lydia standing behind him on the porch. The crock pot she handed him was hot enough to burn his hands. "Hi?"

She gave him a smile that was almost apologetic. "Of course he didn't text Danny. I mean, why would I expect him to let his _best friend_ know he's back in the country when he didn't even let _me_ know he was coming back until four days ago?" She shrugged, sighing briskly. "So are you going to take my coat or what?"

Stiles made an attempt to warn Danny with a brief _Jackson's on his way in,_ accompanied by images and Stiles' own surprise, but Danny had apparently already picked up on it.

_He's not going to hug you,_ Danny told him, _but that doesn't mean he's not glad to see you. _

Lydia followed Stiles into the kitchen, where he went into the freezer and dug out the frosted mugs from under Tutu's packages of ground beef. "Since when is Jackson a football fan?"

"Since he overdosed on the whole British thing." Lydia looked more mellow than irritated. "He won't touch the Guinness; that's for Danny. He's got his own Leinenkugel. Honestly, I think his new man on campus status was starting to wear a little thin before he graduated, and he's missing being at the forefront of the popular crowd."

"I take it you're not feeling particularly charitable these days?" Stiles was keeping an eye on both rooms, but he'd gotten good enough at it that his focus didn't slip off the person in front of him anymore.

Lydia made a pretty little grimace. "Ask me after he gets this out of his system. I'm trying to get to the good part without having to sit around and listen to him whine about how boring London is. So ask me what the good part is."

"I kind of figured it had something to do with sex," Stiles admitted.

"You're not a hundred percent wrong. It has to do with his _apartment._" Her eyes gleamed. "Now that's a reason to consider swallowing my pride — and possibly other things — and take him back."

Stiles wasn't going to question Lydia's motives. Most of the time these days she treated him like a human being, and he was enjoying this particular aspect of his new pack status. "And so now you're here to watch football with Danny and Jackson?"

"Correction: I'm here to sacrifice a couple of hours in the hopes that my investment might pay off in the end." She looked pointedly at the tray Stiles was carrying. "And I don't think you really get to talk, June Cleaver."

"This is just me, avoiding the kickoff. I was expecting to end up in the dining room working on my AP history project, but now there's beer. And Doritos." He shrugged, stacking bowls and forks on the tray next to the mugs. "I can definitely tolerate football for a couple hours."

"I'd say Danny's tamed you, but I don't think you ever had a wild side to begin with."

Stiles lifted the lid of the crock pot. "Meatballs?"

"Less obvious than cocktail wienies," she pointed out. "Stop looking at me like that."

"I'm not looking at you like anything."

Stiles carried the mugs into the den, where the Mahealani family had sacrificed an entire wall to a ridiculously huge screen. He didn't bother to make eye contact with Danny, who was listening with obvious appreciation to Jackson, animatedly relating a complicated story involving three girls and a very small car.

_Tell me Jackson knows about what's going on with you, _Stiles said.

Danny's smile softened, and he glanced back at Stiles, who was settling down across the room in Danny's dad's chair. It faced the television, but was easy to swivel away if the screen, or his boyfriend's smile, became too distracting.

_He knew it before you did._

_Not that. About the bite, your pack._ Stiles felt himself blushing. He ducked further down into the leather chair, hiding behind his textbook. _And god, you're telling me Jackson's known I was your uhane hoa since grade school?_

_I'm telling you he knew there was one, not who you were. _Stiles watched out of the corner of his eye as Danny stretched out his legs. _You really think he could walk through that door and not know I was a werewolf? Or that I was mated to you?_

_Oh, excuse me and my substandard human nose. _He turned the page hard enough to tear it and speared a meatball with his fork, chewing with determination. Jackson's obnoxious laugh rang out, making Stiles grit his teeth. _Does he know about the rest of them?_

_Stiles, does it matter?_

It did, although Stiles wasn't sure he could explain why in front of Lydia and Jackson. Not when both of them had been such an integral part of making him feel insignificant and excluded for the first half of his high school career. He hunched lower. _No. He's your best friend. Of course he would know._

Danny drew his phone out of his pocket with a smooth, unobtrusive motion. "Hey, let me call Scott and Isaac and Allison. They'd want to see you if they knew you were in town."

Jackson's pause was brief, but Stiles heard it. "Yeah, what's the story there? I heard Allison and Isaac were, like, giving you guys a run for your money."

"They're dating, yeah."

"So, what, isn't Scott freaking jealous? He's no saint. It's got to be making him crazy, watching them together. Isn't pack supposed to trust each other?"

Lydia snorted, and there wasn't anything ladylike about it. "Come on, Danny, everybody knows what's going on. You don't have to try to be subtle on our account."

"If everybody knows, I don't have to say anything, do I?" Danny's voice didn't change, but there was no question Danny was good at hiding his stress responses, and this was one of those times. Stiles squirmed in his seat, his hand suddenly itching to hold Danny's.

_Scott doesn't need you to protect him,_ he said.

_I'm just going to let them show up and say whatever they want to about it. It's up to them who they tell, not me. _

Stiles manage to stay focused enough that by the time Scott and Allison arrived, he'd finished his reading. Whether he'd retain any of it the next day was another matter. Scott looked warily pleased to see Jackson, as though he hadn't attacked them multiple times as a giant lizard.

Jackson was openly smirking. "So, you're a Beta in my boy's pack, huh? So much for your legendary true Alpha status. There can be only one, and all that?"

"It's kind of more complicated," Scott said stiffly, "but, kind of, yeah."

Stiles wondered if Allison was going to get all defensive of Scott, but she just gave Jackson a hug. "Isaac's got this dinner thing with his uncle, or else he'd be here too."

Jackson nodded at Allison, but he was watching Scott. Stiles knew that whatever else Jackson might be, he wasn't stupid. "And… you don't have any problem with that?"

Scott gave him a small smile. "No." He glanced at Allison, who was sitting comfortably on the arm of Danny's couch. "We're friends. I'm not going to stand in her way, whoever she wants to date."

"Yeah, well." Jackson ran a hand over the back of his neck. "That answer might be more believable if you didn't totally smell like her."

Allison's outraged expression landed squarely on Scott. He just looked uncomfortable. "What? I showered."

Lydia sidled up beside Allison and patted her arm. "You're a terrible liar, Scott. Really, just don't say anything. The clueless expression works for you in this context; use it."

"Look, it's not like I'm running off to tattle to Isaac," Jackson began.

"Guys," Allison interrupted testily. "There's nothing to _tattle._"

He jerked his thumb at Scott. "You're going to try to convince me you didn't just have wild monkey sex with this guy?"

"No," she retorted, "I'm saying it's none of your business who I have wild monkey sex with."

"Mmmm." Jackson crossed his arms, regarding her thoughtfully. "Okay. I can play it that way. You don't have to trust me."

_Big of him,_ Stiles told Danny.

_I'm not going to try to convince you Jackson's not a dickhead. But he's really good at keeping secrets, and he's more loyal than anyone I know. And he's lonely. _

Stiles frowned at Jackson. _You think he's trying to join your pack?_

_I think that's exactly what he's doing._

"I don't want a list of all the girls who've been in your bed this year," Allison was saying. "I'm just asking you not to judge me for who might have been in mine."

"I'm not the one you have to answer to." Jackson nodded at Danny. "You could fuck everybody on the lacrosse team for all I cared. If you weren't in _his_ pack. But betraying your family… that's just not cool."

"Jackson," Danny murmured. Jackson held up both hands.

"Whatever. I'll back off. Like I said, you're the boss. But you've got some fucking weird pack dynamics. I mean, come on, man, tell me it's not a little weird that I've been here for forty minutes and you haven't said one goddamn word to your boyfriend?"

Stiles, Allison and Danny all laughed at the same time, which just intensified Jackson's frown — which made Stiles laugh more. Danny walked over and put a casual arm around Stiles' waist.

"You know, just because my tongue's not down his throat doesn't mean I'm not paying attention to everything he's doing," Stiles said. He leaned closer, tilting his head far enough to rest on Danny's shoulder, maximizing the cute effect.

"Trust me," Danny agreed, "he never shuts up. We've got nonverbal down to a science."

"Oh, for god's sake, Jackson." Lydia gave an annoyed sigh. "Look, this lame banter is just pissing me off. Stiles and Danny are talking to each other in their heads because they're pairbonded."

Jackson's eyes shot up to Stiles', his jaw hanging slack. All his bravado was gone. "_You?"_

Lydia made an impatient gesture with her hand. "Some kind of specificity of the product interacting with the vomeronasal receptors, intensifying their connection. They'd be adorable lab rats, I admit, but figuring out the biochemical details will have to wait until I get to Cambridge. Jackson, shut your mouth, I'm not done. Isaac won't be upset about Allison sleeping with Scott because the three of them are doing it."

Stiles felt Danny wince. _So much for leaving it up to them to share._

Neither Scott nor Allison appeared to be angry at Lydia for spilling the beans, though. Stiles thought they were probably relieved that they didn't have to be the ones to say it. Jackson was still speechless, and he even had the courtesy to look a little embarrassed.

Lydia, on the other hand, was glaring at all of them. "Now, can we stop it with the secrets already? For once we're all in one place, and nobody's in imminent danger of dying — and I would know — and we've only got a month and a half of high school left."

_Can't we all just get aloooong?_ Stiles crooned. Danny gave his hip one more squeeze before letting him go. At least Jackson's attention was back on Allison and off of him.

Stiles sidled up to Scott, who'd retreated to the snack table. "I guess threesome trumps figuring out who Danny's soulmate is after eight years."

Scott gave him a tentative glance as he spooned up a plate of meatballs. "You, uh, don't sound all that surprised."

"Hey, I knew you'd say something when you guys were ready?" He shrugged, nudging Scott's shoulder. "Now I'm not sure if I should ask for details or just be impressed."

"It was Allison's idea, at first," Scott said quietly. "But, I don't know, it kind of worked out."

Even though Danny was talking to Lydia, Stiles could feel his presence near him, a virtual hand on his lower back. _You were surprised,_ Danny said._ You knew about Allison and Isaac, but you didn't know about _**_Scott_**_ and Isaac. _

_Yeah._ There was no reason for Stiles to deny it._ I guess I figured if Scott was ever going to mess around with any guy, it would be me?_

_Maybe he assumed you weren't interested. _

_I wasn't jealous when he started dating Allison, and I'm not jealous now. _He eyed Scott. _I'm… I don't know what I am. Proud? _

Lydia kind of looked like she was, too, which didn't make any more sense to Stiles than his own feelings did. While she leaned over to unplug the crock pot, she kissed his cheek, and he just shook his head in dizzy confusion, touching the spot with his fingers.

"It's going to be okay," she declared firmly. "Jackson's worth trusting, at least while Danny's around to keep him in check."

"And you?" Stiles had to ask.

Lydia smiled. "I'm invested, remember? In keeping the peace. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got an apartment to decorate." She tugged on Jackson's arm, steering him toward the door, and he went as though it was his idea all along.

Allison blew out a breath as she closed the door behind them. "Well, _that_ was a disaster."

"I don't know," Scott said. He moved in close, touching her shoulder, and she sighed into his embrace. "I think it could have been worse."

"Isaac's going to be frantic. We didn't talk to him about this. He already thinks everybody hates him."

"That's not true," Danny said. "Let me talk to him. If he needs reassurance that he's welcome, I can give him that."

Allison looked unexpectedly vulnerable, huddled there against Scott's chest. It made Stiles want to hug her in the worst way. Stiles knew she wouldn't have minded a little extra contact, but given this new information about the three of them, he wasn't going to push it. She gave Danny a hopeful smile. "Yeah?"

"You're my pack, both of you. If you want him here, I don't see any reason he couldn't be, too."

_You're a total pushover, ku'u lei._

Danny didn't deny it, but Stiles could feel the undercurrent of his patience for teasing wearing to a breaking point — which simply meant that soon, Stiles ran the risk of being pushed up against a convenient wall and kissed into submission. He wasn't exactly sure what would happen if he got to that point in front of Scott and Allison. So far, he and Danny had kept their PDA to a minimum.

"He needs a pack," Allison said, sounding a little desperate. "Losing Erica and Boyd, it got to him. Derek can't be his Alpha anymore, and he —"

"Hey," Danny said softly, and she stopped. He nodded. "I'll talk to him."

Allison hugged Danny, and then moved right into hugging Stiles before he realized what was happening. He held on as long as he thought he could get away with it, and tried to give her a reassuring smile. She smiled back.

"Thanks. We'll let him know."

Scott didn't look like he was ready for a hug, so Stiles just waved and watched them retreat down the front walk and climb into Allison's car.

"I like Isaac," he said aloud, which was pointless, considering they were the only ones left in the room.

_If he's with them, he's welcome here,_ Danny said_. I don't think it needs to be any more complicated than that. _

Stiles waited there while Danny approached him, embracing him from behind in a gesture that made him feel ridiculously lucky. _I guess I could feel uncomfortable about the idea of collecting more people. Like we're opening ourselves up to something risky. _

_Do you?_

He paused only a moment before shaking his head. Danny leaned in and kissed his neck, just above the collar of his shirt, and as always, Stiles stopped breathing for a few seconds before giving in to the sensation.

_You get as much say about that as anyone does,_ Danny told him_. I'd listen to you, if you thought I was making a bad choice._

_I'm not the Alpha. And I trust you._

He smiled as Danny took a long, slow breath. _That's still amazing._

Stiles turned around in the circle of Danny's arms, tucking his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. _How long did your parents say they'd be gone?_

_Not long enough for us to get very far. _

Stiles echoed Danny's sigh. _I can't wait until summer._

_Summer,_ Danny agreed. _And then the four of us find an apartment in Silicon Valley that we can afford — oh._ He blinked at Stiles. _Maybe it'll end up being the five of us? Did Isaac even apply to Stanford?_

_You're already moving in with him? Damn, ku'u lei, I know you and I went kind of fast, but I think there's got to be a limit. _

He'd apparently reached Danny's breaking point. Stiles snickered into Danny's mouth as he was shoved against the door, and kissed him back.

_You know, I think I was wrong,_ Danny said, his hand already unbuttoning Stiles' shorts, leaning hard on Stiles' shoulder as he left blunt-toothed marks in his neck. _I bet I can take everything I need in the next fifteen minutes. _

Stiles sighed in delicious anticipation. _Challenge accepted._


	2. Chapter 2

The next time Stiles saw Jackson, it was with Isaac at the garage. Stiles did actually like Isaac, but Allison had been fretting about Isaac being worried about whether or not they all wanted him in the pack, and it was stressing him out. His chosen solution for that was to drag Isaac away from Allison and do some completely mindless activity together that didn't involve her.

The exact type of mindless activity didn't matter, but as it turned out, Isaac had one that surprised him.

"You can fix cars?"

"I can fix _some_ cars," Isaac corrected. "I don't know anything about newer cars. Anything with a computer, I'm kind of screwed. But if it's mechanical, then — yeah, I can usually fix it."

"That's stupidly miraculous." Stiles watched Isaac blush a little under his admiration. It was damn sweet. He could kind of see what Allison saw in him. "How about a Buick?"

"Model?"

"Um, blue. And it's big." He shrugged off Isaac's insulted expression. "Look, it's a car, and it's in Danny's garage. Anything more and you're going to have to ask him."

Isaac looked a little uncertain about that idea, but he nodded. "I can take a look at it, if Danny doesn't mind."

"His dad already said it was okay." That wasn't exactly true, but Stiles wasn't going to explain that conversation. The closer they got to graduation, the less Stiles felt like parents were relevant — although Danny seemed to believe the opposite. "It belonged to his grandfather, and it's been sitting in there for almost seven years."

He bit his lip. "Oh, did he… pass away?"

"He's still around, but he's not doing so well. We started visiting him in the nursing home every week about a month ago." Stiles picked up a can of oil from the shelf. "So what do we need?"

"I won't know for sure without looking at the car, but if it's been sitting there for seven years, it's going to need at least new oil, antifreeze, gas, and a battery." Isaac's uncertainty was starting to drop away as he spoke. Stiles tried not to grin. "If you don't know what kind of car it is, you'll need to find out so we know what kind of battery to get."

Nudging the door open into the corner of his mind where Danny always resided was like peeling away layers: within seconds, Stiles could see Danny was reading, and then he knew the book was about advanced topics in Python, and then he knew what the first three chapters were about. By the time Danny noticed he was there, Stiles knew how to partition lists using list slicing techniques.

_I didn't even know what complex data structures were five seconds ago,_ Stiles told him grumpily. _How can I know what they are now?_

_Because the brain isn't linear, ku'u lei. _Danny did the completely sappy nose-nuzzling thing, which made Stiles feel a little less grumpy. He knew that they would only ever do that virtually, because Danny never would do anything of the kind where someone else could see him. _If it helps, I think it would take you a lot longer to assimilate enough details to actually learn to code. _

_Isaac needs to know the model and year of your grandfather's Buick._ Stiles took a peek at Isaac, who was watching him warily. _Isaac's going to help me fix it._

_Is he any more skilled than you are? Because with you and my father on the task, you've got a total of zero people who know what they're doing._

_Hey, give me a little more credit than that. I don't need skills. I'm resourceful. _

"Is he…?" Isaac hesitated. "Are you guys…?"

Stiles grinned. "It's a 1993 Park Avenue."

"Cool," he breathed.

Stiles waited around, touching everything on the shelves until the clerk started glaring at him, while Isaac picked out the right kinds of oil and battery. Isaac saw Jackson first. He signaled this to Stiles by grabbing his arm and hissing, "Oh my god. Don't look."

"What am I not looking at?"

"Jackson Whittemore is right over there, talking to that mechanic."

Stiles turned around and looked, at which point Isaac winced and wheeled away from him. "You knew he was back in town."

"Yeah, but knowing and _knowing_ are two different things." Isaac pasted on a smile as Jackson spotted them and started toward them. "Uh… hi, Jackson."

"Lahey," Jackson said, nodding. "How's it hanging?" He looked at Stiles with perplexed fascination. "So you're Danny's soulmate, huh?"

"Hi, Jackson." Stiles didn't bother to respond to the comment. "What're you doing here?"

He glanced back over his shoulder at the long automobile propped up on the lift. "New tires for my aunt's old Caddy. I sold my Porsche before I left for London, and I'm not going to resort to bumming rides while I'm here. You?"

"Little car repair," Stiles said, trying to sound casual without swaggering. _Yeah, I know what to do with this battery._ Isaac waited, shifting nervously as he looked back and forth between Stiles and Jackson.

"Cool. You guys should come over after dinner."

Stiles watched the look of distress suffuse Isaac's face, and quickly said, "Me and Danny? Yeah, sure."

Jackson smirked. "Shouldn't you check with your better half?"

"Yeah, he can do it without a phone," Isaac blurted, then turned red, staring down at the oil can in his hand. Jackson's eyes lit up.

"Go on, Stilinski; show us your pairbonding mojo."

Stiles sighed, reaching for Danny again. _Apparently, we're on display. You up for hanging out with Jackson tonight? _

_Display?_ Danny responded absently. _Hanging out, okay. Tell Isaac to invite Scott and Allison._

_Uh… I don't know if they're even invited._

_Stiles. _Danny's command voice came through, even across town and in his head. He tried not to quiver.

"Danny says you should invite Scott and Allison," he said, and saw Jackson and Isaac startle, looking at one another. "And I guess we need directions to your new place."

"I'll text them to Danny." Jackson didn't move, so Stiles nudged Isaac, beginning to head toward the door. Jackson backed in the opposite direction with a suspiciously friendly wave. "Good luck with the car. Who would have thought, between the two of you, that Lahey would have the brains."

"Hey!" Stiles couldn't help but feel a little defensive, but Isaac was smiling, and that was good.

The car turned out to be in reasonable shape. It only took Isaac fifteen minutes to diagnose the problem after changing the fluids, checking the belts and installing the new battery.

"See this?" he said, pointing to the stains on the floor of the garage. "That puddle is oil, but that red color means transmission fluid. It's definitely been leaking for a while. Let me get under the car and see what I can find."

"It used to make these horrible lurching motions whenever George would drive it." Isaac and Stiles turned to see Tutu carefully climbing down the concrete steps into the garage. She smiled at them. "He refused to sell it, but once he stopped driving, there wasn't any reason to get it fixed."

"Isaac, meet Danny's grandmother, uh…" Stiles quickly rummaged through Danny's head until he found the answer to his question, and grinned at her. "Marjorie."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am." Isaac touched the car. "That sounds like a transmission issue for sure. A new transmission would be expensive, but if I'm right, this won't cost much at all."

Her smile broadened, and she crossed her arms across her chest. "George will be pleased. And it'll piss off my son-in-law to no end."

Stiles choked on his laugh. "Yeah, I think Danny feels the same way, though he's not as happy about it."

"You go right ahead, Isaac. George isn't dead yet, and I'm the only one who knows what he's saying anymore. He's giving you his blessing to mess around with his car."

Isaac looked curious. "Can you — talk to your husband? The way Stiles and Danny talk?"

"Not like that," she said, shaking her head. "When we were together, we could do a lot. But what _they_ have, that's special."

Danny was too immersed in his book to fully appreciate what Stiles was _awwww_-ing about, but once he realized the party was in the garage, within a few minutes he'd joined them there, calling out questions to Isaac. Isaac, meanwhile, was under the car, flat on his back, and he was responding, not sounding nervous at all.

"Broken seal," he shouted. "Bingo." He squirmed out from under the car, grinning triumphantly. "I can't fix that without putting the car up on blocks, but it should be no problem."

Stiles raised both eyebrows at Danny. "He can handle it."

"Not tonight," Danny said firmly. "Tonight we're having dinner, then taking Jackson up on his offer to hang out."

Stiles didn't attempt to hide his wistful irritation from Danny, although Isaac's own anxiety was probably keeping him from noticing anything beyond Stiles' easy, "Sure thing."

_We're never going to get another night alone now that he's back in town, are we?_

Danny didn't respond in words. Stiles had to pause and take a moment to fully appreciate the graphic sexual images that appeared in his mind. He swallowed.

_Oh really._

_Count on it,_ Danny said blandly.

Isaac spoke animatedly to Scott on the phone, grinning, his face still smudged with oil. He didn't say anything romantic or otherwise incriminating, but it was nonetheless completely obvious how he was feeling. When he tucked his phone back into his pocket, he was almost relaxed.

"Scott and Allison'll bring Cards Against Humanity," he said. "And chips."

After Isaac went home, there was a brief interlude during which Stiles thought maybe something would finally happen, but Danny was preoccupied, keeping his thoughts to himself.

_You okay?_ Stiles asked, nudging him.

_Fine,_ Danny replied. _You staying for dinner?_

He eyed Danny's bed longingly. _I should probably go home for a while. My dad said something about renting out my room if I didn't make an appearance at least a couple of times a week._

_You know he understands what it's like for soulmates. _

_No, I don't think he's mad, but that doesn't mean he's kidding, either._

Danny's kiss was perfunctory, which felt less worrisome when Stiles glimpsed those same images, lurking in Danny's subconscious. _Graphic sexual images_ seldom came up for him anymore unless he was with Danny. This was a little weird in and of itself. He'd spent his entire life being anything-that-moved-sexual. To suddenly become exclusively Danny-sexual overnight had been an adjustment, but it wasn't bad. And, considering the fact that he was getting 100% more sex than he had been getting before realizing the pairbond, he shouldn't exactly be complaining.

_Especially considering how good the sex is,_ he hinted. Danny smiled, but didn't look up from his book. Stiles sighed. _I'll pick you up after dinner._

His dad did seem surprised to see him, but he didn't comment on Stiles' presence, for which Stiles was grateful. He just opened the freezer and took out a bigger package of chicken and asked, "Only us tonight?"

"We're all going over to Jackson's after this," Stiles told him, "but I'm here for now."

Stiles was having a hard time focusing on dinner. He kept getting flashes of Danny's images. He squirmed as they piled into his mind, two or three at a time, and shuffled his feet under the table. His dad studied him.

"How's that going?" he asked.

"What?"

"Having Jackson back in town."

Stiles shook his head, restlessly picking up his fork and putting it back down again. "What do you mean?"

"Well, he's Danny's best friend. With somebody competing for Danny's attention, I thought you might be feeling… I don't know. Jealous."

Stiles had to laugh. "Dad, he's in my head. I get him _all the time._ What's to be jealous of?"

His dad grinned, shrugging as he took another bite. "Guess you're right. Never mind. Be home before midnight, and don't forget to turn off the porch light before bed."

He didn't usually have trouble digesting his dad's barbecue chicken, but tonight Stiles had painful heartburn, enough to interrupt him in mid-stride and make him grimace. It wasn't bad enough to keep him from driving, but his stomach felt jumpy, so much that he almost pulled over twice on the way to Danny's.

_Maybe I shouldn't go tonight,_ he told Danny, idling in his driveway. _I think I ate something weird. I'm feeling a little off._

Danny took a while to answer. _Can you come in for a minute?_

_Sure._ Stiles climbed out of the Jeep, knocked on the front door, and was cordial to Danny's mom, but he felt more and more anxious as he made his way down the hall to Danny's bedroom. _What's going on?_

_I… don't know. But you need to come here._

The door was shut. Stiles paused outside, considering knocking, then sighed loudly. This was ridiculous. He put his hand on the doorknob and pushed, wondering what he'd see inside.

Danny was sitting on the edge of his bed, his hands on his knees, facing the wall. He didn't look up when Stiles came in.

_Close the door,_ he said immediately.

Stiles approached him uneasily, but when he rounded the corner of the bed and saw nothing unusual, he knelt down and took Danny's hand. It was warm.

"You feeling okay?" he asked. He wished he knew how to do that head-feeling thing his dad always did when he was sick.

Danny's fingers clutched at Stiles'. As he breathed through parted lips, Stiles could see his fangs protruding from between them. His eyes were still normal-colored, but Stiles guessed it wouldn't take much to turn them red.

_The moon won't be full for seven more days_. Danny glanced at the window. _I can't figure out what's going on._

"It could be anything," Stiles began, but Danny pulled him closer, into the space between his legs, and kissed him hard. It was hard not to moan, feeling the edges of Danny's teeth rasp against his tongue.

_You don't usually want to do this stuff at your house,_ he said.

_I know. I don't. I just need — _

The images were there, stark and vivid in his thoughts: all the things Danny wanted to do to him. Within seconds, Stiles was right there with him, dizzy and lightheaded from the speed of his arousal.

_Now?_ He was kind of asking and kind of pleading, but Danny was already fumbling at Stiles' zipper, pushing his hand away when he tried to help. Stiles quickly found himself manhandled onto the bed, on his stomach with his pants around his ankles, and it was all he could do not to grab the lube and press it into Danny's hand.

_You told me you weren't feeling well._ Danny sounded agonized, but he wasn't slowing down.

Stiles realized the pain in his chest was gone. _I'm — fine, I think? I mean, I don't feel sick anymore. Sexual healing? _He spread his legs wider into the nudge of Danny's body.

They didn't bother with words after that. Stiles tried to make as little noise as possible, but Danny didn't seem to care. He could hear the rippling sound of Danny's growl as he thrust into Stiles, using no more force than usual but driving into him with absolute, focused precision. The experience was so intense that Stiles found himself coming first, stroking himself off onto Danny's bedspread while Danny rode him.

Danny seemed embarrassed as soon as it was over, lifting himself off Stiles and zipping himself up. Stiles had to tug at his hand to get his attention.

"Hey," he said. "I wanted it just as much. You weren't doing anything I didn't —"

"I know," Danny murmured. "It just feels… strange."

"Strange as in not good?"

"No. No. I don't know what I mean." Danny paused, leaning his forehead against Stiles' shoulder in a moment of uncommon vulnerability, and Stiles just put an arm around him and held him until he sighed and pulled away. _I'm sorry, ku'u lei. We should get going._

Stiles let Danny stew in whatever he was feeling, not pressing him for more words to explain, while they drove across town to Jackson's apartment. Stiles himself was feeling a hundred times better. The heartburn was gone, and he was satisfied and pleasantly sore, even if the experience hadn't been particularly intimate.

Allison met them at the door, looking a lot less tense than Stiles had expected her to be, considering both Scott and Isaac were there with Jackson. She pulled Stiles in by the elbow, leaning in to whisper, "Lydia is cheating at Cards Against Humanity."

"How do you cheat at —"

"I don't know, but she's doing it. Hi, Danny." She paused when she saw his face. "Uh… your eyes?"

Stiles felt a shiver of unease when he saw the glint of red. "We don't really know what that's about."

"I'm not angry," Danny assured her. He flexed his hands, which looked ordinary, and glanced in at the table where Scott was laughing so hard at the card Isaac was reading, he was almost falling off his chair. "I'll keep it under control."

Lydia sat with her chair close beside Jackson's, her legs draped over his lap. Jackson appeared to be enjoying it, one hand resting on her calf. He gave Danny and Stiles a lazy smile — which abruptly disappeared as they approached the table.

"Hey, you can't be doing that shit here." He was looking at Danny.

"I'm not doing anything."

"The hell you're not!" He switched his accusatory gaze to Scott. "Didn't he just get bitten five months ago? He can't be doing this already."

"Doing what?" Scott asked.

"What, am I the only one who knows _anything?_ Danny's the Alpha. The Alpha's responsible for populating the pack. The Alpha's the _only_ one who can do that." He stared at the blank faces around them. "Come on, didn't Derek tell you?"

"Tell me _what?"_ Danny snarled, forcefully enough to make Stiles flinch.

"He called it the rut. It's not supposed to happen until a couple years after you get bitten, but it makes you smell like _that._" He pointed at Danny, who drew back.

"Like… what?" Allison asked. "Stiles, can you smell it?"

"I don't smell anything." He couldn't help but lean in to take a whiff, although if Danny was smelling like anything out of the ordinary, he bet would have caught it while Danny was holding him down and fucking him.

But Isaac cleared his throat, his cheeks pink. "I, uh… wondered what that was."

"So werewolves can smell it, but not humans." Stiles looked at Scott, who was averting his eyes. "You too? What's it smell like?"

"Awesome," said Jackson. He took a long breath. "Pied Piper awesome. This is I'm-Going-to-Fuck-You-Now by Dior."

Danny's eyes were glittering, and although he appeared calm, Stiles could feel his tension building. The graphic sexual images were beginning to resurface, too, flickering through his mind like portents of what was to come. "You're saying… I'm in heat?"

"Male animals don't do that," Lydia said. She hadn't moved from her spot next to Jackson. "It's the females who go into estrus. But I can imagine it could be different for male Alphas."

Jackson looked horrified. "Dude, it's going to start soon. You need to get your ass over to Derek's, _now, _and get him to tell you what to expect."

"I — think it's a little late for that." Stiles grimaced apologetically at Danny. "It's already happening."

"Shit. Okay, look, Stilinski, I don't know much, but I know this isn't going to be pretty. You've got another week until the full moon, and until then, your boy's going to be spreading his seed any way he can."

Stiles thought about the way Danny had been in his bedroom, the very deliberate nature of their act, and tried not to blanch. Danny, meanwhile, tightened his mouth and sighed.

"This is not happening at your house," Stiles told him. "I think — maybe not at mine, either. A hotel room?"

"For a week?" Lydia looked pointedly at Stiles. "No. You're going to stay right here."

"The fuck!" Jackson yelped, dumping Lydia's feet onto the floor and staring at her in indignation. "And where am I going to stay?"

"You have a couch, dipshit." Lydia glared at him. "He's your best friend. When your best friend needs a place to crash, you _give it to him._ And his boyfriend."

"That… might solve some big problems," Danny said quietly. Jackson held onto his outrage for a few last dramatic seconds before rolling his eyes.

"Fine. But whatever sexual gymnastics you think you're going to do, Stilinski, it's not going to be enough. You're a human. I'm not slamming your endurance or anything, but —"

"Seven days of sex with a werewolf," said Scott. He sounded sober. "That could actually kill you."

"Guys, we can solve this," Allison urged. "What is a pack for? We're on it. Danny, you think you're doing okay for now?"

"I don't know what I should be watching for, but… maybe?"

"I'm guessing it might be better to talk to Derek sooner than later, to get the details about this rut thing." They were all on their feet, the card game forgotten. "Stiles, why don't you go with him. Isaac and Scott and I can get you some groceries, emergency rations for the week."

"Give him your key," Lydia ordered Jackson. He grumbled as he slid it off his ring, but handed it over to Danny. Danny stared at for a moment before tucking it into his pocket. "That's not all you're going to need. An excuse, for one. You're… you're taking your boyfriend on vacation?"

"In the middle of the school week?" Danny shook his head, looking tired. "I wouldn't skip. Stiles wouldn't either."

"A medical excuse, then." Lydia looked at Scott. "Your mom…"

"She's really not going to get this," he said. "But she might be willing to help."

"Good. You talk to her. I'll see what I can learn from Dr. Deaton about werewolf estrous. Jackson, you… I don't know, go pick them up a stack of DVDs to give them something else to do besides the obvious. We're going to make this work."

Danny reached out a hand to grasp Lydia's arm as she turned to go. "You don't have to do this."

"Of course I do," she said impatiently. "I want in. I've given up pretending I'm an ordinary person, and this is apparently the pack for weirdos. What's one more?"

Danny actually laughed. "Okay. Consider yourself an honorary member of the pack of weirdos."

Stiles hadn't realized how much tension he'd been carrying in his shoulders until he heard that laugh. Then he just wanted to lean on Danny and let it all go. But right now, Danny was the one who was going to need support.

He watched Danny standing there, still and alone in the center of the room full of activity, his eyes flashing red, and couldn't help suppress a shiver. _And I'm the one who's going to need an ice pack, and a big bottle of lube._


	3. Chapter 3

_(Author's note: this gets a little dub-con, and maybe it's a little heavier than I expected. I guess I should have known I couldn't write something like this and make it simple. I do promise happy endings, for everyone. -amy)_

* * *

Stiles walked with Allison out to the parking lot, leaving Danny and the others behind, mostly because he wasn't sure if he was going to make it a hundred feet without punching Jackson in the face. But she put an arm around him and gave him such a concerned look that he had to say something.

"You think what Scott said is right? About… seven days of sex with a werewolf?"

She pursed her lips. "I don't know, Stiles. When Scott was an Alpha, I did a little reading about the rutting phenomenon. It scared me, to be honest. I mean, I get the biological point, to ensure the best genetic material for the pack, but I couldn't get pregnant with him anyway, and it just felt like… like we would be doing this really strenuous, arduous thing with no reason behind it." She shrugged. "You don't have to worry about getting pregnant either. But one mate? And not even a werewolf mate? Humans aren't really designed for week-long nonstop _anything_."

He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered. "Jeez."

She patted him on the shoulder. "Go talk to Derek," she urged. "He'll be able to answer your questions better. And talk to Isaac, too. He's been through it once."

He didn't feel any more certain watching her walk away, but he was pretty sure he didn't have much of a choice about what to do next. Danny was there when he turned around.

"This is kind of freaking me out," Stiles told him.

_I know,_ was all Danny said. He didn't touch Stiles or offer any comfort. He just walked around to the passenger side of the car and climbed in, waiting for Stiles to join him.

Derek's apartment was on the other side of town. Driving there gave Stiles enough time to marshal some questions, while he attempted to ignore the images Danny's mind was firing at him. He could tell it was getting increasingly hard for Danny to keep his cool.

Finally, Stiles took a deliberate turn onto a series of dirt roads, keeping track of the lefts and rights in his head while getting as lost as he could. When Danny finally looked up from his own thoughts and realized they weren't driving to Derek's anymore, he grasped the steering wheel.

_Stiles._

_You're not going to manage to put this off all night,_ Stiles told him. He touched Danny's hand, feeling him tense. _And you can't hide from me. _

_Not when we're this close,_ Danny agreed unhappily. He watched from under lowered lids as Stiles moved up his arm to rest on his shoulder. _ Would you just pull over?_

Stiles obliged, still holding on to Danny's arm. _You promised you wouldn't hide from me again. That would be worse than feeling whatever it is you're going through. Don't shut me out, no matter how bad it gets._

Danny laughed without humor. _I don't think you'll know how bad it'll get until we get there. _

_I know I'm your partner,_ Stiles insisted, _and I'm not leaving you to deal with it alone._

Danny was shaking when he reached for Stiles across the seat, wrapping him up in strong but careful arms. Stiles scooted in as close as he could get, feeling Danny's rapid heartbeat, the heat of his skin.

_I could hurt you._

Stiles took a deep breath. _I don't think you will. But if it happens, we'll deal. _

It felt like a very public place to be holding one another like that, in the front seat of Stiles' Jeep on the side of the road in the woods, but the way Danny's eyes were glazing over, he didn't think he cared all that much. Even as the tension built, he could feel Danny opening up to him through the conduit of their touch.

_I can see exactly what you want to do to me,_ he said,_ and it all looks great, but I think it's going to have to wait until we get back to Jackson's. _

Danny's arms tightened around him, pulling him further over into his lap on the passenger seat. Stiles hesitated only a moment before finding a spot to wedge his knee and straddling Danny, feeling how hard he was already. The way Danny rubbed against the crease of Stiles' shorts made him ache.

_I could take you right here, ku'u lei. _He traced the veins on the side of Stiles' neck with his tongue. _I could hold you with my teeth and you could sink right down on my cock, and I could — _

_Danny,_ Stiles protested, struggling for breath, but still not willing to move one inch from where he was at that moment. _You don't want to do that._

_Yeah. I do. _Danny emphasized his words with a grinding thrust. Stiles gnawed on his lip.

_If I said yes, and we got arrested for public indecency, my dad would probably be really pissed off. Not to mention your dad._

That made Danny pause. He shifted uneasily. _And if I said I could hear them coming, before they got close enough to notice us?_

_Yeah, I'd normally believe you. And trust me, on any other day, I'd be all over that. But you're not thinking clearly, and if you — god — start fucking me in my car, I'm not going to be thinking clearly either. _

Danny's growl settled over him like a thick fog. He quivered at the press of Danny's clawed fingernails into the sensitive underside of his arms. _Maybe you just need me to tell you to shut up and take it like a good boy._

Stiles cursed every nonexistent god that was casting him in the role of the responsible one at that moment. _Yeah, maybe I do need that, but it should probably wait until we get back to a place that doesn't have glass walls. _

_You're the one who pulled over,_ Danny snapped.

_So let me get my hand in your pants and do something about it. Or, I don't know, I could blow you right here against the car. Something that would be easy to stop, if we have to?_

"No!" Danny's voice was rougher and thicker than usual. He sat up, shifting Stiles off his lap and onto his leg. Stiles had to duck his head to keep from banging it on the rear-view mirror. "No. That's… not going to help."

"Why not? Take the edge off, at least."

Danny didn't answer, breathing hard. Stiles got it.

"You… have to, uh. To fuck something?"

He nodded once. Stiles could feel the pulse of him, hot and insistent, against his thigh, and furrowed his brow.

"It's not like you're going to get anywhere with me anyway. Your pack's not going to grow any faster if you come in my ass instead of my mouth."

_You can argue with me all you want. I'm not going to have any better answers for you. I'm just telling you what I need._

Stiles glanced out at the dark, silent woods. _You're telling me you need to throw me on the ground right out there and — _

_Yes. Yes, that's exactly what I need. Fuck._ Danny groaned, writhing under Stiles weight. _You'd better get off my lap before I stop taking no for an answer._

That didn't make Stiles any less scared, or any less turned on, but he scrambled back to the driver's seat, watching Danny compose himself.

_Okay,_ Danny said at last. _ We'll go to Derek's. I'll get the information we need to make it through this. And then we're going to set some ground rules to keep you safe, and to keep me from hating myself afterward. _

Stiles nodded in relief. _Yeah. That sounds good. _

He shot Danny little glances as he retraced his way out of the woods and back onto the main road, but Danny stayed on his side of the car the rest of the way to Derek's. It wasn't until they reached the parking lot that he touched Stiles again, just a brush of a fingertip on his hand.

"You know I love you, right?" he said.

That made Stiles squirm, but he nodded. They didn't use those words very often; the feelings were always there. "I, uh. Yeah. I love you too."

"And I always want to take care of you, and protect you?"

"Jesus." Stiles stared at his lap. "You're really doing this now?"

"I have to," Danny said firmly. "If I don't say it now, I think… you might start to wonder, in the next couple days." He didn't look any more happy than Stiles felt. "I really don't like the idea of being forced to do anything. Or forcing you to do anything."

Stiles shook his head. "Dude, I'm not being forced. I'm right here. My choice, whatever happens."

"Yeah, but… I think there's a chance I might end up forcing you." He gritted his teeth. "God, this is _not_ okay."

"Come on." Stiles opened his door, stepping out onto the pavement. "Let's get this conversation over with."

They hadn't let Derek know they were coming, but he met them on the porch anyway, nostrils flaring and eyes wide.

"What the hell?"

"Yeah," Danny said heavily. "Can we come in? I have some questions, and I think you're the only one who can answer them."

Derek followed Danny with his eyes down the corridor. "You got the bite just a couple months ago. This can't be happening."

"You really think I'm faking it?" growled Danny, and Derek stumbled back against the door frame, flinching away. Stiles gave Danny a nudge, pushing him through the doorway into Derek's apartment.

"So if we can get past the denial… can you clear up a few things?" Stiles tried not to glare at Derek. He'd been easier to tolerate when he'd been an asshole. "I get that there's some kind of biological imperative here. But what the hell? Danny's _gay._ For one thing, he can't make baby werewolves with me, so why would he still want to try? And for another, even if he had female werewolf pack members, he's not going to _want_ to make baby werewolves with any of them."

Derek shook his head, shutting the door behind him. "Last one first. I don't think you can make that assumption. I mean, I only went through the rut once, so my sample size isn't all that big for males. But common knowledge says, the rut doesn't recognize gender, only number."

"Number," Danny echoed. He swallowed. "You're saying I need to — do this with my whole pack."

"Not necessarily. It passes more quickly, though, if you do." Derek's lip twitched. "Think of it like… filling a quota."

Stiles closed his eyes. _I was wrong. He's still an asshole, even if he's not an Alpha anymore._ "That doesn't answer why the gender doesn't matter. If the purpose is procreation —"

"See, I don't think you can make that assumption either," Derek said. "I don't think anybody knows for sure _why_ we do it. But the outcome is stronger pack bonding. It also leads to larger packs, because the pheromones draw Omegas to the Alpha."

"But Jackson said the Alpha's the only one who's fertile, and only during the rut," said Danny. "Wouldn't that imply the purpose is to make more werewolves?"

"Maybe, but my mom thought it was more likely an indirect purpose. Werewolves have two methods of reproduction, after all — the bite, or birth — and both carry risks and uncertainties, but birth is more likely to result in larger packs. Most werewolves are born to clans or larger packs because smaller groups tend to be temporary, breaking up after a couple years. When female Alphas go into estrous, they inevitably get pregnant, but they also bond with each of the members of their pack in the process. This means more adults protecting the cub or cubs. Bigger packs are more stable."

Danny was obviously trying his best to focus on what Derek was saying, but he was more restless than Stiles had ever seen him, pacing across the room, arms crossed. "So that's what happens with female Alphas. What happened with you?"

"I wasn't Alpha for very long," said Derek, his voice quiet, "but it was long enough to go through one cycle. It was — intense."

Stiles felt a surge of unexpected sympathy. "Your pack. Boyd, Erica, Isaac." He watched Derek nod stiffly. "They were with you for that?"

"Yeah." Derek looked away. "I thought you were here about you."

"I am."

"Because I'm not looking to join another pack."

Stiles looked at Danny. "I don't think you were being invited."

The offended expression on Derek's face made Stiles want to punch him again. Combined with the sympathy, it was a weird experience.

"What about jealousy?" asked Danny, obviously trying to redirect. "Isn't that a problem?"

Derek shook his head. "The pheromones calm the pack. Wolves get plenty jealous, but not during a rut. You might as well stop trying to play by human rules regarding relationships."

Stiles sighed. "Okay, look. What about reproduction? Would a werewolf and a human ever be genetically compatible? I mean, a male and a female. I wasn't asking if _I —"_

"No."

"But you said during a rut, the Alpha's always fertile. Wouldn't that —"

"I think we got what we needed," Danny stood, gesturing for Stiles to follow. "Thanks for your time."

_What's going on?_ Stiles asked, hurrying after Danny to the car. _I had more questions._

_He's not going to know anything more that would help us, Stiles. _

Danny's face was closed, but Stiles could feel something else was going on underneath. He pushed in closer, peeling away the layers, and froze, his hand inches from the door handle. "You don't think —?"

_I'm just drawing conclusions, but if the Alpha's always fertile during a rut, Erica would have gotten pregnant. _

"Holy shit." Stiles climbed in, slowly putting on his seat belt. "And I kept asking about procreation. Who's the asshole now."

_You weren't trying to hurt him._

He leaned his head back against the seat. "Well, he'd never tell us, if she had been. And there's no way I'm going to ask Isaac."

_It doesn't matter right now._ _Start the car. _

Stiles drove back to Jackson's as fast as he could without breaking any traffic laws, because he hadn't been kidding about his dad being pissed off. Danny was starting to make some pretty distracting noises, growls intermixed with restless moans. Stiles might not be able to smell his pheromones, but all of his other senses were thoroughly inundated with Danny's drive to _do things_ to him. No, not just any thing; this _one thing._

_You're going to go inside,_ Danny said, gripping the vinyl upholstery of his seat. _You're going to tell Jackson and Lydia that if they hear anything that sounds like a struggle, they're coming in to get you. _His eyes simmered, a deep, rich burgundy, as he pressed the key into Stiles' hand. _And then you're going into the bedroom to wait for me._

_Is this where I'm supposed to say something like 'who the fuck do you think you are?'_ Stiles darted forward to kiss Danny's trembling cheek. _Because I think that sounds awesome._

Jackson let him in, scowling the whole time. "Hope you're hungry. Allison and Isaac bought you a whole fucking grocery store, so help yourself. Except the raspberries; the raspberries are mine."

Lydia was simultaneously hunched over her laptop and poring over a thick book with a brown leather cover. "Have you _seen_ the stuff Allison's father has in his library? And such poor security. A person could rob him blind, were they motivated to do so."

Stiles set the key on the kitchen table. "I'm supposed to tell you that if you hear me screaming or — what did he say? The sound of a struggle - you're to come in and rescue me."

"One werewolf on duty at all time; check." Lydia looked up with a brisk smile. "I'm brimming with fascinating knowledge about werewolf estrous, which I am going to assume you will want to know later. Jackson's good lube is in the bottom drawer of his nightstand —"

"Hey!"

"— and Mrs. McCall said she'd issue Scott a doctor's notice to bring to school. She'll call your dad, too, but she wants _you_ to call her to confirm you're okay in the next twenty-four hours. Allison said the three of them would be by tomorrow after classes. I'll be here in the morning, but until then, Jackson's your watchdog. Oh, and there's a robe on the back of the door."

"This is _not_ the Whittemore Hilton," Jackson objected, but Stiles was already heading for the bedroom, stripping off his shirt.

Danny's thoughts were murkier now, less distinct. He wasn't bothering to make words anymore, but Stiles thought they were pretty much done with words. He did find himself wondering if Danny could smell _him,_ and if he smelled like anything special, other than horny teenage boy.

Danny didn't come storming in, snarling with eyes glowing, or anything like that. He was calm, and closed the bedroom door gently, watching Stiles kick his jeans to the floor.

Stiles fluttered his eyelashes at him. _Am I being a good boy now?_

It was as though Danny didn't hear him. His gaze was fixed on the movement of Stiles' legs, his hands on the bottle. Tracking him. Stiles felt a moment of unease. _Like prey._

An instant later, Danny was on top of him, crushing him to the bed in complete silence. His breath was hot and oppressive against Stiles' throat, but he didn't use his teeth. His eyes, still dark red, were the only outward sign of the wolf, if you didn't count his astonishing speed and strength. He only needed one hand to hold Stiles down while he stripped off his own shorts, then pushed Stiles' legs apart with one knee.

There was a moment during which Stiles considered going ahead with no lubrication, relying on what was left from earlier that evening, but then he decided he hadn't completely lost all rational thought. If they were going to be doing this for an entire week, he was going to need all the help he could get.

_Danny,_ he said. _The lube. I need that before you — it's in the bottom drawer._

There was no response. Stiles decided he was not going to panic. He struggled for about three seconds before deciding trying to get away was futile. _Dirty tricks next._ He slid a hand up between their bare chests and flicked Danny's nose.

"Hey," he said loudly. "Boss. Wake up."

Danny's face was comical, but Stiles was too worked up to laugh. He looked into Stiles' face carefully, inspecting him. Then he sniffed him.

"I don't want to yell for Jackson. Really, I _really_ don't want to. And maybe I should have just lubed myself up and not assumed you'd be lucid enough to do it. But —" Stiles took a shaky breath. "I wish you were. I'd rather not just be a warm body, here."

_No, ku'u lei,_ came Danny's muted thought. _No one else like you._

It was more of a relief than he'd expected, to hear Danny say that, and he closed his eyes as Danny kissed away the tears that didn't quite fall. He was grateful, too, that Danny took the initiative to root around in Jackson's drawer for whatever bottle of slick stuff he apparently owned. The fear of Danny losing control was insignificant compared to the potential horror spawned by the surprises he might find in Jackson's sex toy box. But then Danny's fingers were inside him, coating him efficiently with slickness, and he stopped thinking anything except _god, at last._

There was no risk of Lydia or Jackson thinking he was struggling, not tonight. The act was as quiet and efficient as it had been in Danny's bedroom earlier. He was carried along by the way Danny was looking at him, the intensity of his thrusts, and when Stiles began to whimper and squirm, Danny didn't keep him from moving his hand in between their bodies to finish himself off. He didn't _help_, either, but Stiles really didn't expect that, not in the state Danny was in. When he was done, there was no snuggling; he simply fell asleep on Jackson's pillow.

Stiles decided wearing the robe would be too much insult to injury, and slipped back into his jeans and t-shirt before making the trip across the hall to the bathroom to clean up. When he peeked around the corner and saw Lydia and Jackson in front of the television, he gathered his courage and pulled up a chair beside them.

Jackson looked more annoyed than embarrassed by Stiles' presence, but he passed him the bowl of chips without comment. Lydia barely acknowledged his presence until the commercial, when she reached over and grabbed a notebook, facing him cross-legged across Jackson.

"It's definitely a mating urge," she said. "No matter what Derek's theory is about bonding. Alpha werewolves don't go into heat until they're mature. In the case of werewolves created from an Alpha bite, that usually means three years, maybe four, after the wolf's creation."

"So Danny's an anomaly," Stiles said.

"Yes. In males, it happens every couple years and lasts an average of a week, between four to ten days, and it always happens directly prior to a full moon — which is to say, the wolves mate, then they shift. This is supposedly the only time when Alpha werewolves are fertile, males or females. When it's a male Alpha, female werewolves respond to the rut. Werewolves are reflex ovulators, so they're automatically fertile at the time males are in heat."

"Commercial's over," Jackson grunted. Lydia gave the television a cursory glance and turned back to Stiles, not lowering her voice at all.

"The Alpha male will mate with all the females in his pack when he's in heat - and usually all the males as well. Typically biology trumps sexual preference during a heat. Males rut several times a day while eating copiously between and sleeping most of the rest of the time." She cocked her head. "Are you hungry?"

"Not really?"

"You might want to eat anyway, and sleep when he does. Several times a day means overnight, too. He could wake you up any time."

"It sounds so romantic the way you describe it."

Lydia snorted, but she looked completely serious. "I'm not trying to make it sound palatable. I'm trying to tell you how it is. You should know what to expect. Stiles, nobody goes through their heat alone. It's a pack responsibility."

"It's _my_ responsibility," he insisted. "It's not Danny and Stiles and these other people. It's us, together. We're pairbonded. I'm not going to give up on him."

"A pairbond doesn't count for shit if you're _dead,"_ she retorted.

He was quiet for a few minutes, letting the sound of the television and Jackson crunching on chips blur his thinking.

"You think I should — let somebody else take over?" he asked at last. His voice didn't shake too badly.

"I think you should keep it in mind. This is hour one. When you're on hour fifteen, or hour thirty, or hour fifty, it's going to feel a lot less pleasant." She leaned in and patted his hand. "Don't worry. If you're _actually_ going to die, at least I'll be able to let you know in advance."


	4. Chapter 4

The first night was hard to remember later with any clarity. Stiles found himself losing count of the number of times Danny woke him to mount him. Each time it happened, he thought for sure would be the last, but Danny didn't seem to be either tired or in any kind of a hurry. He fucked Stiles slowly, with focused attention. Once he didn't even bother to climb on top, but simply slid into him from behind, hooking one leg over and reaching a hand around to stroke Stiles' cock. There was no way Stiles was going to get hard again, not after coming at least three times that night, but it still felt exquisite. Another time he woke up in the midst of being fucked and fell asleep again before Danny was done.

It was surprising how well his body seemed to be tolerating the constant penetration. He took the tube of lubricant into the bathroom with him at one point to read the label, and decided he would be forever after a silicone lube convert.

When Stiles woke to faint sunlight and Danny gently snoring in a heap beside him, he decided food was more important than a shower. The amazing smell coming from the kitchen definitely helped make up his mind. He winced a little as he pulled on his jeans, but he had no idea who else was out there, and he wasn't going to intentionally make things more awkward than they already were.

Jackson was crashed out on the couch, but Allison was sitting at the table with Isaac, and Scott stood in front of the stove, scrambling eggs. He gave Stiles a speculative smile. "Hey. We weren't sure if we'd actually see you or not."

"Are you skipping class?" Stiles wasn't going to complain, not if Scott could make the kitchen smell like that. He filched a bite of eggs with two fingers and crammed it into his mouth.

"Dude, use a fork. And school doesn't start for another forty-five minutes." Scott slid a plate across the table toward him and gently flipped the next batch of eggs on the stove with a spatula. "We'll be back after. I think it would look bad if you and I were absent at the same time."

Each forkful of eggs was like a revelation. Stiles didn't say anything for several minutes while he ate, eyes half-lidded in pleasure, not even when Allison started laughing.

"So you look like you're doing okay?" she asked, as he finally began to slow down.

"I'm surprisingly okay," he agreed. "Of course, day one of seven." He considered the chair, then added, "But I'll stay standing, if you don't mind."

He decided not to say anything about the lube. Allison would have been cool with TMI, but he still didn't know how to handle the thing about Scott and Isaac. On the other hand, maybe they weren't doing anything with each other that involved lube. He decided he wasn't going to make any assumptions.

"More eggs?" Scott asked, not looking at him. Stiles shook his head.

"If Danny's feeling anything like I am, he's going to be freaking starving when he wakes up. Stick 'em in a bowl and leave them in the fridge."

If Scott was avoiding his eyes, Isaac's eyes were begging Stiles to _look at me_. Stiles brought the eggs over and leaned against the wall, taking another forkful while he waited for Isaac to make words come out of his mouth.

"I, uh." He glanced hesitantly at Allison. "I… should get going. I have to, uh, do that thing before school."

"If it's homework, you can just bring it back here after school and we'll do it together," she said. She leaned over and kissed him, slow and lingering, and Stiles tried not to grin as he watched Isaac deteriorate into a pile of mush. She held his eyes, smiling at him, and Isaac blushed and smiled back.

When he stood and grabbed his backpack, however, Isaac's smile slipped a little. He walked past the kitchen, ducking out the door without another word.

"What, your boyfriend doesn't kiss you goodbye?" Stiles drawled through his eggs. Scott shrugged, his eyes on the stove.

"Just give him a little time," Allison said. Stiles wasn't sure who she was talking to, but Scott nodded. For a second, Stiles caught a glimpse of the expression on his face. He set the plate down on the table.

"Hey. You know I'm okay with this, right?"

"It's fine," Scott said, shaking his head. "It's… it's not you. You have bigger things to worry about."

"Me? What do I have to worry about? I just have to show up and — uh." His filter kicked in just before he said _show up and get fucked,_ but judging by the way Scott flinched away, he heard it anyway. Stiles attempted to redirect. "So thanks for the eggs. I think if he's going to sleep like this, I'll have time to fend for myself, uh. Between."

"Yeah," Scott muttered. He scraped the rest of the eggs into the bowl and set the pan in the sink. "I think I'd better get going, too."

Allison didn't let Scott leave without a kiss, which seemed normal enough to Stiles, even after the way she'd just been kissing Isaac. Stiles busied himself at the sink, running water into the pan and swishing it around aimlessly, while they had their moment.

"Bye," Allison called softly, waving out the door. Her face was peaceful when she turned around.

"So what's going on with that?" he pressed. "I'm not that much of a cockblock between the two of them, am I?"

"No." She looked amused at the question.

"I mean, they don't seriously think I feel weird about —"

"Stiles," she said, holding up her hand. "It's… the pheromones. Being here, it's throwing them into high gear, and they're trying to stay out of your way."

"Out of _my_ way?" Stiles wrinkled his brow. "What do you mean? They could make out all they wanted and I wouldn't care."

"Not with each other." Allison's words came out slow and distinct. She looked pointedly at Stiles, then at the bedroom door, which was still closed.

"Oh. _Oh!"_ He nodded, equally slowly, feeling suddenly very stupid. "I'm missing a lot of background here, but… just to be clear? You're saying they both want in on… this?"

"No," she said heavily. "They don't. I mean, obviously they _do._ But I think Isaac's remembering how it was with Derek during his rut, and he's freaking out about Scott's reaction to him responding to Danny's pheromones, and _Scott_ —"

She stopped, moving restlessly from the table to the counter, and finally leaning against the sink next to Stiles. He dried his hands and slipped an arm around her.

"Does this totally suck for you?" he asked.

Allison sighed. "No, Stiles. I'm not going to say it's not a little weird, but I knew all of this when Scott and I agreed to join Danny's pack. I made an informed decision, and I'm okay with it."

"Well… good, because I'm a little weirded out myself." He snuggled closer, appreciating the contact. "Nobody told me about the multiple partners clause involved in being part of a werewolf pack."

"It's not required or anything," she said. He shook his head.

"No, no, I don't think Danny would force anyone. But… it's just more complicated for us, you and me. Without the pheromones." Stiles met her eyes, and she nodded understanding.

"And there's the question of kids," she added. "This whole mating urge, what it means. I don't think any of us are really ready to think about that yet, but I'm thinking about it anyway."

That surprised him. "Really?"

"Well, humans and werewolves aren't physically compatible. That means if I chose to stay with Scott or Isaac or both of them, I couldn't have kids with any of them. Maybe we never would have had kids anyway, but… going into heat this early? I can't help but think it means something. For our pack."

She sounded so rational, but for some reason, Stiles was finding it hard to swallow all of a sudden. "What do you think it means?"

"It's like Danny's biology is saying, he needs to make little Dannies."

He sagged a little against Allison, feeling her hold him up. The image was equally compelling and terrifying.

"Maybe," he managed. "But… we're not dogs, or — or iguanas or anything."

"_We're_ human," she agreed. "We get to decide whether or not we listen to our biological imperative." She smiled at him. "Truthfully, I'm relieved I don't have to be worried about birth control. I want to go to college, to travel, to have some wild experiences before I breed."

"If you _can_ breed."

Allison tossed her head. "When I'm ready, I'll figure something out. I don't have to get the genetic material from anybody in particular for it to be his child."

"…_Whose_ child?" Stiles had to ask.

"I don't know, Stiles. Whoever I'm with." She looked pensive. "It's more complicated now, but… in a way, I kind of love the idea of having lots of parents around to help with the kids."

She kissed his cheek before leaving for school, but by the time she closed the door behind her, Stiles was already heading for the bedroom.

Danny was still in the same position as he'd been when Stiles had left. He could feel Danny's mind, calm and murky with sleep, but when Stiles climbed back into bed, Danny stirred enough to wrap both arms around Stiles, pulling him tight against his chest.

_Little Dannies,_ he thought, and indulged in about ten seconds of imagining that. It left him feeling more uncertain and anxious than he'd anticipated. He lay there for a long time before he was able to go back to sleep.

* * *

Danny's fingers inside him woke him up, accompanied by the wordless drive of his need, washing up against Stiles' consciousness with inexorable, impatient force. It was easier to comprehend his situation now that he'd had a little sleep, and Stiles opened himself gladly to Danny's preparation.

_Want you,_ he thought, hearing Danny's soft growl in his ear with gathering anticipation. He reached down to pull himself open as Danny knelt over him and entered him with one stroke. Stiles resolved to send this particular silicone lube company a fruit basket when this week was over.

Danny seemed less mired in the confusion of rut than he had last night, but his thrusts were no less focused. Whatever uncertainty Stiles had been feeling was temporarily obliterated by the grip of Danny's hands on his arms holding him down, and the slap of Danny's tight stomach against his balls. The closer he got to coming, the more hungry he felt for the images filtering through from Danny's mind to his.

_You want to fuck me until I can't move,_ he said, putting words to Danny's thoughts. _You want me open and ready every minute. You want… god. _He choked on a whine. _You want me to watch you fuck every one of them._

_Mine,_ was the only concept that came through Danny's mind. He wasn't even breathing hard, but Stiles was sweating and squirming underneath him. Danny's eyes glimmered red. _All mine. My pack._

He didn't slow down, but he didn't speed up either, and the last thirty seconds consisted of Stiles moaning, "oh fuck, oh fuck," over and over again. Stiles didn't even bother to try to touch his cock as Danny's firm thrusts hit his prostate with jarring intensity. He swore he could _feel_ Danny coming inside him.

Stiles didn't think about the fact that they weren't alone in the apartment until he peeled himself out of the bed, staggering toward the bathroom, and found Jackson shouldering him aside with an irritated snarl. He caught one glimpse of Jackson's boxers tenting out in front of him before the bathroom door slammed in his face.

_Everybody can smell you now,_ Stiles informed Danny from the doorway. _You're apparently not subtle._

Danny rolled over onto his back to look at him. He wasn't exactly smug, or satisfied, but he was definitely lucid. _You're one to talk. I think the neighbors could hear you that time._

_They're at work! I hope. Anyway, it's Jackson's apartment. _Stiles returned to the bed, sitting on the edge and tracing Danny's bare leg with one finger. _Scott made us eggs. You want me to warm them up?_

_That would be fantastic._ He reached for Stiles, kissing him. _You're doing okay?_

_I am,_ Stiles said. He knew Danny could see everything he was thinking and feeling, but Danny was also too respectful to go peeling away the layers without asking. _I have… a lot of thoughts, but not too many of them are useful right now. Food, I think, and a shower. _He sighed into the pressure of Danny's mouth on his neck. _You really need to eat before we do this again._

Danny let Stiles edge back out of his embrace. He was sober as he groped on the floor for his t-shirt. _Part of me feels like I should be apologizing, but I'm having a hard time feeling sorry at all. _

_Sorry for… what, exactly? Being an Alpha? The nonstop sex? The orgy this is threatening to become?_

Danny winced. _You know I don't — that's not my goal here._

_No, I didn't think it was. But you can't tell me it might not happen._

He gave Stiles a fixed stare. _I'm not going to let anything happen that any of us are going to later regret. _

_Did I say I was feeling regretful?_ Stiles grinned at him. _Okay, maybe I'd rather not have Jackson in my bed, but I'd have said the same thing about Isaac a couple months ago. A guy can always change his mind._

Danny closed his eyes, scrubbing his face with the palm of his hand. _Jesus. Are you trying to make me jealous?_

"Me?" Stiles said aloud, laughing. "How can you not be kidding? You're the one who's giving everybody boners. Jackson's in the bathroom jerking off as we speak."

Stiles watched Danny's nostrils flare. He scowled. _He's not._

"What, can you smell _him_ or something?" Stiles paused. "Oh, my god, you can, can't you?"

_I can smell everybody,_ he snapped, rising to his feet. He stalked toward Stiles, backing him up against the wall until he was inches away. _Right now, I can smell _everybody, _and — _

Stiles tried not to scramble away as Danny leaned in and buried his nose in Stiles' neck. "Eating — Danny, you need to — _fuck."_

Danny's blunt teeth dug into his skin, not hard enough to draw blood, but sure as hell hard enough to leave serious bruises. His snarl rippled out, loud enough to fill the room.

_Everyone smells like a mate. Everyone. Scott, Isaac, Allison — I want to do things to Lydia I've never once thought about before. I feel like, if I don't get to penetrate you — _Danny punctuated the word _penetrate_ with a thrust of his pelvis against Stiles' hip; he let out a ragged whimper — _I'm going to die._

_You're not going to die,_ Stiles said automatically. Danny was already hard again, grinding against his thigh, and despite himself, he was responding, shuddering under Danny's groping hands. _But you do need to eat._

"I need," he growled, low and harsh. Then he stopped, breathing hard through his nose. With a clear effort, he pushed off Stiles, turning away in frustration.

_Can't you just —_

_Go._ His command was clipped and anguished. _If you want me to respect your words, you need to be on the other side of that door._

Stiles considered what it had taken for Danny to say that, and headed toward the door — and met Jackson there, stripping off his shirt with a determined sigh.

"The things you do for your best friend," he said, pushing past Stiles into the bedroom.

"What are you doing?" Stiles demanded.

"Look, he's always wanted me. Don't deny it." This last Jackson had addressed to Danny, who looked caught between rolling his eyes and grabbing him with both hands. "Trust me, it's not exactly the way I wanted to get into his pants, but whatever. It's not about me. Or you, Stilinski." He was breathing Danny in, big deep inhalations, watching Danny while his hand rested idly on his thigh, his thumb rubbing his erection through his boxer briefs.

Danny scarcely had any words to offer Stiles, spoken or not, but Stiles could see the images of what he planned to do to Jackson, and the amount of control he was currently exhibiting, this close to a beta werewolf. Stiles thought about Allison's words that morning: _I made an informed decision, and I'm okay with it._ Was _he_ okay with it? And if he wasn't, would either of them even listen to him at this point?

He dug in as close as his bond would allow, feeling the essence of Danny surrounding him. _Ku'u lei,_ he said. _This will help speed things up? Get you done with this faster?_

_Yes,_ Danny responded instantly. He clenched his hands into fists, eyes glowing.

_Just — tell me this isn't going to screw things up for us._

Danny looked directly at Stiles. _If you think it will, _he said, each word an effort, _I'll tell him to go._

The halting statement released something within Stiles that he'd been holding tight, and he was able to take a full breath. _No. It's okay. I'm not really freaking out, really — it's okay. Words later. _He stepped in, kissing Danny hard, then retreating before he could change his mind. He wanted to say something ridiculous to Jackson like _If you hurt him, I'll — _ but the sentiment ended there, because what could Stiles do to a werewolf that Danny couldn't already do better himself?

Stiles decided he wasn't going to lose the opportunity to take a shower again. He shut himself into the bathroom and turned the water on scalding, then stripped off his clothes and climbed in under the spray. It was a shock to his chafed skin, but it felt good, too; good enough that he was able to focus on the heat and the humidity instead of what Danny was doing with Jackson in the bedroom.

There was no way he could ignore it entirely, not without blocking Danny, and he'd made Danny promise he wouldn't. Stiles dried off slowly, taking each image as it came, integrating it into the experience. Being disconnected wasn't going to get them through this, he decided. If there was pain, he could deal. Danny hadn't said it _wasn't_ going to hurt them, but Stiles wasn't afraid of pain.

Okay, maybe he was, a little. He leaned against the bathroom door, shuddering, as simultaneous snarls reached him from the bedroom. His half-hard cock almost made him put his disgusting, come-stained shorts on yet again, but in the end he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He knotted the damp towel around his waist and wished he'd thought to grab Jackson's robe from the back of the door.

Lydia was at the dining table, wearing a smart pair of glasses, tracing swift lines in the leather-bound text she'd been reading the night before. She looked up as he emerged, ignoring his near-undress and beckoning him over. "Let me guess. You need a distraction."

"Please," he begged, sliding into the chair beside her. A second set of snarls came through the wall, louder this time, and he cringed. "And maybe I could turn the television on?"

"Be my guest. But, here, this might be dry enough to take the edge off." She tapped the book, and read: "The stimulation of the vagina triggers a release of the leutinizing hormone, the hormone secreted from the pituitary gland that causes ovulation. However, scientists note that the release of this hormone can also be affected by the environment, such as temperature and the availability of food. So, during a drought or a very snowy winter where food is scarce, a female, though mounted by the Alpha male, may not secrete the hormone. Stress may also play a factor."

He stared at the text. "Where the hell did you get a book about how to knock up a werewolf?"

"I told you, Mr. Argent's library." She tipped her head to one side. "I just thought you would want to hear that."

He couldn't fathom Lydia's reasons. "Why?"

"Because," she said impatiently, "it means the chances are pretty good that Erica _wasn't_ pregnant when Derek went into rut."

"Oh." He rose to his feet suddenly as another wave of images hit. "I'm — the TV…"

Lydia watched him impassively as he turned the channel to a stupid 80s rerun and increased the volume until the laugh track was blaring, then stumbled back to the table. "You can tell what he's doing?"

Stiles nodded, not trusting his voice. He tried to be subtle about tucking his cock between his legs as he sat back down, squirming a little under Lydia's scrutiny. She nodded back, looking expectant, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "You, uh… want me to tell you?"

"Not unless you want to. It wouldn't be the first time I've heard graphic details about Jackson getting nailed by another guy. But I meant _you._ Are you dealing? What about this is bothering you?"

He tried to give this question a serious answer. Lydia might not appreciate his sense of humor. "I don't think it's really that he's doing this with another guy. I'm not exactly jealous."

"Okay," she said. "So what is it?"

"It's…" He laughed unhappily. "I'm feeling… left out. Because I'm not a werewolf, and I can't really get the effect of these pheromones."

She nodded slowly. "You _want_ to be at the whim of your biology?"

He shrugged. "I didn't say it was rational."

"Can't you just, you know, tune into whatever he's experiencing and pick it up that way?"

"I can. I do." Stiles paused, trying to breathe evenly. "God."

"He's done already?" Lydia sniffed. "Embarrassing."

"There'll be a second round," he croaked. "I can already feel it. No, it's not that I can't feel what he's feeling. It's that I can't feel it back. Which probably sounds like the stupidest thing, because I already have this crazy connection with him; should I begrudge anybody else that? No."

"Mmmm." She frowned at him. "You really want him to make this about you? Because I've got a way, but you might not like it so much."

He shook his head. "No," he repeated. "I don't. It's not about me."

"It is as much as it is about any of us, Stiles. If what Derek says is anywhere close to right, we're going to end up closer, as a pack." She held out her arms. "So stop being such a baby and accept it."

Stiles eyed her arms doubtfully, staying where he was. "Accept what?"

Her arms remained open. "That we're joining _your_ pack as much as Danny's. That _you're_ a reason for us to want to."

When nothing else had, that statement made him cry. Stiles sat, feeling the impact of it, the tears beginning their trail down his cheeks. "I'm —"

"Oh, for god's sake, Stiles," she snapped, "it's not like I've never hugged a guy with an erection before. Would you get over here?"

He finally knelt in front of her chair, letting her draw him in close, wrapping him up. She did seem to be completely oblivious to his physical response, which might have depressed him on any other day, but at the moment it was a profound relief.

"You really want to be in _my_ pack?" he mumbled.

She stroked his hair placidly. "Yeah, you dork. I do."

He stayed there throughout round two of Danny and Jackson's combative coupling, only quivering slightly when he finally felt Danny collapse. Lydia was completely calm. She gave him an encouraging smile.

"I'll… warm up his eggs," he said, and she nodded.

Jackson was wearing his own robe when they emerged, and Danny looked a good deal calmer than he had when Stiles had left. It smelled like ordinary sex to Stiles, nothing special, but he wasn't going to tell them to shower. He brought the bowl of eggs over to Danny and put it in his hands, along with a fork.

"I'll freak out a lot less if I know you're not going to pass out from low blood sugar," he said.

Danny ate the eggs, standing as close as he could to Stiles without actually picking him up in his arms. _I don't think werewolves do that, ku'u lei._

"What, have blood sugar issues? No diabetic werewolves?"

"One sided conversation's weird, guys," Lydia said. Danny coughed.

"Sorry," he told her. "I've been taught not to talk with my mouth full."

She laughed aloud. "I imagine you've also been taught not to have sex with all your boyfriend's best friends?"

"Uh." Danny actually blushed, but Lydia was already grinning at Stiles. He grinned back at her.

"I think we're okay," he found himself saying. "I think — if you would just eat those fucking eggs already — it's really going to be all right."


	5. Chapter 5

_(Author's note: The last chapter was intense, and I feel a little bad for leaving it like that. If you're wondering where I'm going with this, I can't promise to know for sure, but it obviously involves lots of complicated dealing with multiple partners. I'm not ruling anybody out, either, so if you have particular pairings you hate, you might want to read elsewhere. I'm cheering for Danny and Stiles just like the rest of you, but in my happy little poly world, winning seldom looks like monogamy. In any case, I'm enjoying writing this very much… and on my drive tonight I got plotbunnies for a prequel to Only Held By Gravity, from Danny's point of view, as well as the Scott/Allison/Isaac backstory. No sex in this chapter, but lots of talking about sex! Enjoy — amy)_

* * *

Stiles stayed close to Lydia, holding tight to her hand, until Danny and Jackson were done foraging for food. He stole glances at Danny every now and then, but he didn't really need confirmation of what his bond told him about how his soulmate was doing. Danny still felt clouded, but not by a shield, and beneath it Stiles could still sense the quality of their connection.

_Still there,_ he thought, and it wasn't even a question. Danny didn't smile, but Stiles heard him whisper _no kau a kau_ in response.

Lydia waited until Stiles let go of her hand to move toward Jackson, not engaging him directly, but sitting beside him while he ate, letting him share her space. Stiles tried to do the same with Danny, but he couldn't bring himself to close that gap quite so readily, not without having a chance to talk first. Instead, he sat at the end of the table, with Jackson and Danny on either side, feeling about as tense as he figured he should feel.

"So that was awkward," he declared, after they'd eaten most of what was on their plates. Jackson was avoiding his gaze, doing a bad job at appearing bored, but Danny sighed.

"I think I can't deny there was something important about doing that with another werewolf."

"Hey, Stilinski," Jackson drawled, making a dismissive gesture with his hand. "It was just sex. Don't get all bent out of shape about it."

All three of them responded at the same time. Lydia snapped, "That is wrong on so many levels I can't even _begin_ to —" while Danny let out an outraged, "If _that_ were the case, don't you think we would have done this years —"

But Stiles rose up halfway out of his chair, leaning in toward Jackson, and tapped him none too gently on the chest, until he was facing Stiles directly.

"We're not going to get into this now," Stiles said. "But you're not going to play this fucking game with us. You're only here because Danny needs something, and you want to give it to him. You're going to be _grateful _for that. You understand?"

Jackson didn't look exactly scared, but his bravado was significantly diminished. "I'm just saying you don't have to make such a big —"

"Yes," Lydia said crisply. She slid one hand into Jackson's and gave it a firm shake. "_Yes,_ he does. We all do."

"It wasn't like that with Derek," he insisted.

Stiles managed to bury his reaction to this news, but Lydia didn't look surprised. At least now he knew who she'd been talking about when she'd mentioned him having sex with other guys.

"It's not like that here," she said. "This isn't a werewolf thing. This is a werewolf _and human_ thing. This is a _big deal."_

Jackson's gaze shifted to Danny's, then to Lydia's, before looking back at Stiles. _Now_ he looked scared.

"Fuck this," he muttered, pushing his chair back abruptly. He disentangled his hand from Lydia's, and was out the door before any of them could say anything.

Lydia sighed, her expression sour. "Just what we need: _another_ emotional crisis."

"It would have been worse to let him go ahead and pretend it wasn't anything," Stiles said.

She stood up as well, brushing invisible dust off her red leather skirt. "Well, I'd better go after him. If he thinks we're ignoring him, he'll pout all evening." She leaned over and kissed Stiles on the cheek, and, after a moment, did the same to Danny. "Don't worry. I can handle Jackson."

Now that Jackson was out of the room, Danny looked exhausted. "I think I should sleep," he said, his words slurring a little.

"Yeah," Stiles agreed. He surveyed the carnage on the table. "I'll — clean up here. And I should probably call my dad pretty soon. I've been afraid to look at my phone."

Danny nodded, walking slowly toward the bedroom. Stiles followed him. The scent of sex was thicker now; they were going to need to open a window at some point. _Although that would probably draw every last omega within a hundred miles._

_I'm sorry, ku'u lei,_ Danny said. He'd already collapsed on the rumpled bed. Stiles bit his lip, keeping his distance.

_I know,_ he told him. _It's going to be okay._

It took Danny about ten seconds to slip back into unconsciousness. Stiles hovered there for a little while, considering crawling into the bed with him, but the awareness that he was the only other one in the apartment kept him out. Danny had made him promise there'd be another werewolf on duty the whole time they were together in the bedroom, and Stiles wasn't going to break that promise, no matter how certain he was that Danny wouldn't really hurt him.

Instead, he dug through Jackson's drawers and found a clean shirt and a pair of shorts. The towel around his waist really wasn't going to cut it. Then he bundled up all the clothes littering the floor of the bedroom, shoved them into the laundry bag he found in Jackson's closet, and set it in the hallway. He'd figure out where the laundry room was eventually.

The kitchen was almost clean by the time Allison and Isaac showed up. They both appeared surprised to see him answer the door.

"It's not like Danny's got me cuffed to his bed," he said, but he couldn't muster enough energy to make it into a very good joke, and the way Allison looked at him made him feel more like crying.

"Scott's got a shift at the vet after school," she said, "but he'll be here after dinner. You want to go sleep for a while? Where's Jackson?"

"He took off." Stiles was considering whether or not to say anything when he caught the tense set of Isaac's jaw, and the way his nostrils were flaring. "You can tell, can't you?"

Isaac froze. "Tell what?"

"You're a crappy liar. You can smell him. The two of them."

"The two of — Stiles?" Allison stared at him. "Danny and _Jackson?"_

"It was a thing," he said, feeling suddenly out of words. "He needed it. I'm not freaking out."

She hesitated, then took Stiles' hand and led him toward the couch. Isaac followed without a word, and when Allison sat down and pulled Stiles into a hug, he sat down on Stiles' other side, flanking him closely. The warmth and contact on both sides decreased Stiles' tension by about a thousand percent, and he let himself sit there without saying anything for a few minutes. It didn't hurt that Allison was doing this little hair-stroking thing, or that Isaac's arm was draped casually around him to hold Allison's hand.

"Isaac," Allison murmured eventually, "maybe you could tell Stiles about how it was with you and Derek, when he was going through his rut."

"Um — sure? I could do that, if you think it would help." He rested his cheek on Stiles' shoulder, like it was nothing. Stiles wondered if Isaac understood just how _good_ it felt to be held that way, or if he was doing this for Allison, or if it was something else entirely. "It was pretty soon after he gave me the bite, so I was still figuring everything out. But after the way things were with my dad, it was just… so much better, to be away from that? So _everything_ was better. And we — Erica and me — we didn't even question it. Whatever Derek needed, that was easy." Stiles felt him shrug. "It was pretty awesome, actually."

"What about Boyd?" Stiles asked. Isaac didn't tense up, but Allison squeezed Isaac's hand anyway.

"Boyd had never thought about guys before, but I don't think it was any different for him. All of us felt that way. It wasn't like we were competing for his attention. He still wanted to be there, to give Derek anything he needed."

Stiles looked at the pale hairs on Isaac's arm. "And you had?"

"What?"

"You'd… thought about guys."

Isaac shifted on the couch, but as far as Stiles could tell, it wasn't to get further away from him. "Well, sure. Yeah. I thought about lots of guys. And when Derek… well, I never thought about saying no to him. It wasn't even a question."

"But you're not in his pack anymore."

"No. It's not the same now. He's still Derek, but there's… something missing." Isaac didn't sound upset about this, just a little thoughtful. Stiles relaxed a little more as Allison leaned over to kiss Isaac's temple. Asking the next question didn't feel scary when he was being held by both of them like that.

"So what about with Danny? The pheromones, is it the same as it was with Derek?"

Stiles felt more than heard Isaac's slow sigh. "I think so. I just wasn't sure, since he…"

Isaac didn't finish his sentence. Stiles was trying to figure out if he should prompt him when Allison said quietly, "He's scared Danny doesn't really want him in his pack."

That made Stiles sit back to face them both. "What?"

Isaac's cheeks were pink. "Allison…"

"No, you should tell him," she urged. "He needs to understand."

Stiles waited while Isaac collected himself, watching Allison supporting him. It fortified him, the way she was giving Isaac strength just by being present, and giving him space to take his time. When Isaac spoke, it was with obvious effort.

"I knew Derek needed me. He _made_ me. But why would Danny need me when he has you and Scott and Allison? I'm just… extra."

Stiles looked at Allison helplessly, but she wasn't offering him any help. "You're fixing his grandfather's car." Isaac snorted, and Allison grinned a little. Stiles pressed on. "You're in love with Allison and Scott." Now Isaac was blushing full-on red. "Come on, don't deny it, I heard the way you were talking to him on the phone. It's awesome."

Isaac looked startled. "Yeah? You think it's awesome that I — how I feel about Scott?"

"Yeah!" Stiles said with enthusiasm. "Yeah, I do. It's awesome because it's obvious the two of you are completely nuts about each other, you and Allison. And Scott… he really wants it too. He's not just settling." Saying the words felt good, like he was sorting them out inside himself as he spoke. "I don't really know what he feels, I guess; Scott's kind of hard to read sometimes, but I think —"

"No, it's okay," Isaac said, smiling, clearly pleased. "He's into it. I'm not worried about that. I'm relieved, though, to hear you say it's okay with _you."_

"Well, yeah." Stiles paused a moment, then leaned over and hugged Isaac, who startled again before hugging him back. "Yeah. It's really okay. That's what I'm saying. We want you here, both of us — Danny too, you can be sure about that."

Isaac glanced at the bedroom and inhaled at the mention of Danny's name, as though the thought of him and the scent of him were linked. "And you're sure _that_ part is okay with you?"

Stiles kept his smile as light as he could. "You mean the wild werewolf orgy we're having in Jackson's apartment? I don't feel at all weird about you being here for that."

As Stiles had hoped, Isaac laughed. "It's a bigger deal than that, Stiles."

"No, I know. That's why Jackson left. He couldn't handle the idea that it was a bigger deal than just sex." He scratched his head, shrugging. "I'm not exactly sure what it _is,_ but…"

"It's just what it is," Allison said. She turned to Stiles, still holding Isaac's hand. "I thought, if you wouldn't feel too weird about it, that I should be there. With Isaac, when he… takes his turn. If that wouldn't —"

"No," Stiles interrupted. "It wouldn't be too weird. You're part of the pack, too."

She nodded soberly. "Okay. Thank you. And… Scott?"

"What about Scott?"

"Would you be willing to… be there, with Danny and Scott?"

Stiles felt his heart stutter, then resume, beating double-time. "Oh." He stole a glance at Isaac, but Isaac was completely sanguine. "You think he'd, um, tolerate that?"

Isaac and Allison looked at one another. She nodded. "I don't think he'd ever ask, but he wants you there."

He tried to keep his breathing slow. "Okay. Um… Jesus. This is the thing, Allison. This is the big, big thing about what you're saying. If what Isaac said is true, that it wasn't weird during and it's not weird afterwards because of pheromones, but _I_ don't experience those pheromones, and _Scott_ doesn't experience them, then…"

"You think it's going to be weird afterward for you and Scott."

"Yeah," Stiles sighed. "I think it might be. And I —" He swallowed, wishing they were still hugging him, but it would have felt really awkward to ask for that, so he just pushed through the fear and said the truth. "I want to. And okay, maybe I think Scott might kind of want to, too, but I still think… it would be, like, me taking advantage of the situation."

Isaac was looking at him intently. "So you can watch Scott and Danny having sex."

He cringed. "God."

Allison was shaking her head. "I'm not going to make you talk to him, Stiles, but you guys will have to figure that out eventually."

"No, we don't have to," Stiles said quickly. "We never have to. _That_ goes in the box of things we never have to talk about."

"Not anymore," she replied, touching his hand. She looked sympathetic. "Maybe before this happened, but now you're going to have to."

"Stiles, he'd totally be into it," Isaac began, but Allison shook her head once, and he subsided.

Suddenly Stiles felt the distance between himself and Danny, yawning like a gulf. He struggled to his feet. "I'm going to —" he said, indicating the bedroom. Allison waved him on, but before Stiles could get very far, Isaac reached out and clutched his hand.

"Thank you," he said. "This helped a lot."

"Yeah. Me, too." Stiles looked at his grateful face, and wondered if he'd ever know just how he deserved to see that expression from Isaac Lahey. He added, "I'm really glad you're here."

Isaac looked overwhelmed, but he nodded. "I'm really glad I am too."

It was a relief to strip off his clothes and insinuate himself between the covers, nestling against Danny's heated skin. Danny made restless noises when Stiles touched him, but his mind was still heavy and muffled with sleep. It took him several minutes to rouse enough to respond to Stiles' thoughts.

_You're different,_ Danny said. _Who did you talk to?_

_Allison and Isaac. They were… yeah. I'm different._ He breathed in Danny's very ordinary scent, holding him tight in both arms.

_I feel like I have no right to ask you to tell me about what they said._

_I can try to tell you. It's not so much what they said as what I realized._

_And what did you realize?_

Stiles could feel Danny's awareness of him, his insatiable desire, waking up. He was going to have to make this short. _My mom used to say I was a tactile person. Touching, being touched, it helps me calm down. Allison and Isaac helped me get through the way I was feeling._

Danny was still, listening carefully. _Tell me how you were feeling._

He took a long breath. _Scared. Jealous. Wondering about stupid things I knew weren't true._

_Like what? _He stroked Stiles' arm.

_Like… we were Jack and Diane? Like, maybe this thing we had was just idealistic and stupid and I was going to find out it wasn't everything I thought it was after all. _

_Ku'u lei. _

_I know, I know! I know that's not true. And still… this is a lot to lose. _

_You're not losing anything,_ Danny told him_._

_"_You say that," Stiles whispered, holding on to him with both arms. "You _say_ that. But how do you know?"

_Because I'm the Alpha. _

Stiles felt the words hit him with the force of an eiderdown quilt. He closed his eyes. "That's not fucking fair. You can't play that card every time you want me to listen to you, because you know it works."

_I'm not playing anything. I'm just telling you the truth. You don't think I'm scared?_

"Not like I am."

Danny rolled over under the covers to face him, taking Stiles' hips in his hands to pull him close. _You're amazing. I have no idea how you handle things the way you do._

"Handle things how?"

_Everything. The whole world could change around you, and you'd just be there, ready to take it on, saying _what's next? Danny leaned in to kiss Stiles' neck, heating his skin. _I've been amazed at you for my whole life, Stiles, and this experience of being your Alpha isn't changing it one little bit. _ He brought up one hand to rest briefly on Stiles' cheek. _You're my pair. You're the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning, and the last thing I think about before I close my eyes at night._

It was the most words he'd heard from Danny in almost twenty-four hours, and Stiles drank them in with the same ecstasy he'd experienced when he'd eaten Scott's scrambled eggs. He leaned into Danny, like his body was begging for more.

_Whatever crazy biochemical thing is happening here with this wolf rut,_ Danny said, kissing him,_ I'd fight it to my last breath if I thought you needed me to do that._

Stiles sighed. "This soulmate stuff? That's nothing but biochemistry too, you know."

_That might have been true if we were just meeting one another for the first time, Stiles, but we're not. I'm saying this connection, what you and I have, that trumps whatever my biology is telling me I should be doing with the wolves in my pack. I'm still in control enough to decide that._

"Yeah, well." He leaned up, facing Danny. "I'm not telling you you don't get to have this."

_I know. _

"No, listen to me," he insisted. "I'm telling you, I know it's not a game, this thing we're doing here. You're not fucking around on me, and we're not doing some hot threesome for the hell of it. This is about our future. _Our_ pack."

Danny blinked, suddenly shaken out of his placid confidence. _Stiles._

"Yeah." Stiles laughed breathlessly. He kept his eyes on Danny's. "I knew, from day one, that what we had was going to be for the long term. I don't see any reason not to think about this that way either. Maybe for most Alphas, their rut ends up being them and their pack, one pair at a time. But this isn't like that." He put a hand on Danny's chest, over his heart. "This is _you and me, _and everybody else. You're building our pack here, this week. And I want to be there for it."

He could feel Danny splintering under his hand. _Stiles, I —_

Stiles wasn't going to let Danny try to talk him out of it. "You're not leave me out in an effort to try to spare my feelings. What Derek said, about this being for pack bonding? I think he was right. So I want in. I'm not your beta. I'm your _partner."_

Danny kissed him fiercely. "Amazing," he muttered.

Stiles smiled against his lips. _Okay, maybe it's also a little bit because it's hot._

_I never said you couldn't think it was. _In the corner of Stiles' mind, Danny caught the thread of his conversation with Isaac about Scott, and immediately kissed him all over again. _Yeah. He can think it's hot too._

Stiles suppressed a moan, burying his face into Danny's neck. _I think I might need lessons from you about how to deal with long-suppressed feelings._

That made Danny laugh out loud. _I never suppressed them, ku'u lei. I was loving you that whole time. _

_Loving me._ He wasn't going to say the words aloud, but somehow it felt reasonably safe to say them to Danny, here, in the privacy of their own minds. _I guess I've… loved Scott as long as you've loved me._

_I imagine he's loved you just as long._

Stiles squirmed. _Yeah, but it was never going to be something we were going to _talk_ about, much less do anything about. I'm still not sure it's a good idea._

_But? _Danny prodded.

_But Allison said I'm going to have to._

He chuckled. _You know I'm not going to tell you that. _

_Thank you. I'd prefer to keep it that way._

Stiles hadn't expected to have this kind of opportunity to talk with Danny, not in the midst of his tumultuous rut. The calm moment felt like a gift. He snuggled in close.

_I'm so lucky, _he whispered.

_Yeah? Even with all this weird stuff happening? All these people interfering with our regular ordinary life?_

Stiles was already snorting with laughter before Danny even finished his sentence. _I think I abandoned regular and ordinary back in the middle of sophomore year. Do you suppose we could shoot for colorful and unique?_

_Definitely,_ Danny agreed, kissing the top of his head. _I think those are both well within our reach._


End file.
